<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>2 1/2 ounces gin, 1/2 ounce dry vermouth, 1/2 ounce olive juice by halfwingangel</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25403047">2 1/2 ounces gin, 1/2 ounce dry vermouth, 1/2 ounce olive juice</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfwingangel/pseuds/halfwingangel'>halfwingangel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Prince and The Advisor [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>After the years of darkness, Alcohol, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Ignis doesn't say a word in the first chapter, Reunions, Two strangers in a bar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:55:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,414</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25403047</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfwingangel/pseuds/halfwingangel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a long day all you want is a drink at your favorite bar, and there you realize that maybe alcohol is not what you need.</p><p>But things don't always go as planned.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ignis Scientia/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Prince and The Advisor [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1847050</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The coincidence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Kaie/gifts">Lady_Kaie</a>.</li>



    </ul><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>You're such a great source of inspiration, Lady_Kaie. And a bad influence for me.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="western">What a day.</p><p class="western">You walked alone into the bar you used to frequent when you wanted a drink to relax, disconnect or just rest, looking for your favorite table that had the overstuffed armchair against the wall, away from the entrance and close to the large window where you had a nice view of Insomnia at dusk.</p><p class="western">Usually a beer would be enough, even those black ones with strong notes of roasted malt and concentrated coffee, but not today. No. Today you needed to feel the sting of alcohol on your tongue and throat as each muscle in your tense body loosened.</p><p class="western">So, of course, you ordered a Californication.</p><p class="western">Oh, yes. The strong explosion of the vodka, gin, white rum and tequila mixed with the bitter taste of freshly squeezed lemon and orange liqueur took all your senses and blew your stress away with the very first sip.</p><p class="western">Almost anesthetized, you leaned back on the comfortable chair and, crossing your legs, you gave a satisfied sigh, looking at the colorful liquid in the glass while you settled an arm on each side of your seat. The music was soft and the warm ceiling lights and floor lamps almost made you sleepy in the simulated semi-darkness of the quiet place. There weren't many people, and that's why you always liked it.</p><p class="western">But you felt watched. So, turning your gaze towards the bar table, you noticed a man who was looking at you discreetly from there. You haven't seen him when you arrived. Well, most of the time you didn't pay much attention to your surroundings.</p><p class="western">His dark blonde hair arranged in a perfect hairstyle that framed a beautiful face with delicate but manly features. His eyes, where you could see a green shade from the distance, shone behind the glasses that he deliberately slid up his nose with the middle finger of his gloved right hand before avoiding your gaze when he found himself caught.</p><p class="western">The line of his mouth was flat, but while he leaned back on his high stool as he reached for his drink again, the corners of his lips curved upward giving the subtlest glimmer of a smile that disappeared almost immediately. Then he brought the triangular glass to his mouth and his lips parted to receive a pinch of his cloudy drink, pursing them right after and licking them with just the tip of his tongue.</p><p class="western">A dirty martini, you identified. He was just passing time.</p><p class="western">Returning to your business, you turned your gaze to your phone to read a stupid message that one of your friends had sent you and huffed a laugh through your nose. Idiot. Then taking another sip of your colorful elixir as you kept scrolling down the screen, looking nonsense here and there, you shifted more comfortably in your chair, holding your glass in one hand. Just to look up and meet the eyes of that handsome stranger again.</p><p class="western">He was staring at you over the edge of his glass as he took another sip and you couldn't help but blush a little. Maybe the alcohol was already working. You looked at the collar of his perfectly fitted white shirt under his formal black jacket that he had unbuttoned to sit as he left his drink back on the wooden bar. He crossed his legs then, momentarily taking his gaze away from you as he rested one of his forearms on his knee, then leaning the other on the firm surface where his glass was as he returned his shining shielded gaze to the corner where you were, all seriousness.</p><p class="western">Maybe he would look more handsome if he smiled, you thought.</p><p class="western">So - thank you, uninhibiting power of alcohol - you smiled at him. The simplest and easiest of smiles crossed your face as you continued with your legs crossed and your arms resting on the sides of your chair, tilting your head just the slightest bit.</p><p class="western">An embarrassed and even tender smile took his face by surprise while he avoided your gaze again, directing it to the glass he was taking in hand once more, but from which he didn't drink. You chuckled at the sight, but then he startled by his phone chiming in his pocket, taking it out of his jacket and staring at it for just a second before answering the incoming call.</p><p class="western">As he gestured while speaking, his eyes locked on you again, his head slightly tilted downwards so that he almost looked at you over his squared glasses. He didn't seem distracted, but his pinning gaze gave you the impression that he didn’t want to lose sight of you because of the interruption. That made the smile grow on your lips, showing some of your teeth as you took a drink from your glass again to hide your embarrassment, averting his piercing beam for a moment to catch your breath.</p><p class="western">He hung up then and you looked back at him in time to see him getting up from his chair. What a shame. But for your fortune, he didn't walk towards the door but to the bathroom, leaving his glass half full. So, he wasn't leaving yet.</p><p class="western">His slim, long and confident figure in fine trousers walked the short distance to lose behind high doors, and you didn't skimp on giving him a good once over to feed your eyes.</p><p class="western">But what the hell. In a daring move fueled by alcohol, you took a napkin and wrote your number and your name as fast as you could. Then quickly getting up from your chair, you went to the bar table and stood right next to the bench where he had been sitting, drawing the bartender's attention.</p><p class="western">"Excuse me," you said to him as he approached, "can I have some peanuts in my table?"</p><p class="western">The bartender nodded at you and while he prepared the small bowl for your order, you slipped the napkin and placed it under the glass of that stranger, then returning to your seat as casually as you arrived.</p><p class="western">Again, settled in your chair, out of the corner of your eye you saw him come out of the bathroom while you took another sip from your drink as you looked idly at the screen of your phone. The waiter approached, bringing your snacks and leaving them on your table, getting in the way between you and the bespectacled man. But when he retired, the first thing your eyes caught was his gaze going curious from the napkin to you, the corners of his lips curved into a satisfied, so subtle smile.</p><p class="western">You smiled back in complicity, holding your glass in your hand while the man, without taking his eyes off you and without erasing that gesture from his face, carefully put the napkin in the inside pocket of his jacket and finished his drink. Then, standing up again, he paid the bartender and, not before giving you an intense green-eyed look, blinking slowly at the end, he turned around and left.</p><p class="western">Well, now you just had to wait, you thought as you followed him until he was lost in sight, crossing the door. Maybe he would never call, or maybe yes. You would find out.</p><p class="western">Going back to your drink you took a long sip and sighed, unlocking your phone once more to laugh at another message from your stupid friends. Your daemonic cocktail was almost over, so you relaxed and prepare to enjoy what was remaining.</p><p class="western">Then the waiter approached your table again with another drink on his tray.</p><p class="western">"Oh, no," you corrected as he placed the glass neatly over the white napkin in front of you. "I didn't order another."</p><p class="western">"It's from the gentleman who just left," he politely said with a smile. Your brain halted and he gave you a nod, leaving you with your brows arched and gaping.</p><p class="western">Coming back to yourself, you gave a little chuckle as the waiter walked away and looked at your new concoction. Of course, a dirty martini. But under the clear glass you noticed that the napkin was not completely white.</p><p class="western">Slightly lifting the crystal and sliding the napkin under it, you couldn't believe what was written. A phone number and under it a name.</p><p class="western">
  <em>Ignis Scientia</em>
</p><p class="western">That brought a laugh again to your mouth. When did he have time to do this? You were pretty sure you hadn't lost sight of him long enough for him to write his name and number, and you hoped he hadn't done it in the bathroom after...</p><p class="western">Never mind.</p><p class="western">You saved his contact on your phone and kept the napkin in your bag, grabbing then your liquid gift while twisting the toothpick that held the olive between your fingers. The tension in your muscles was gone and you didn’t even remember why you were stressed anymore.</p><p class="western">But Ignis Scientia, that name you wouldn't forget.</p><p class="western">Curious. Now the dirty martini was your favorite drink.</p><p class="western"> </p><p class="western"> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, I couldn't get Ignis out of my mind drinking that martini. I hope you liked it Lady_Kaie!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The reunion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Who would have thought that after so many years you would return to that bar.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>How long... It was a long time since you’d last walked down this Insomnia street.</p><p>There was still some rubble in a few corners, but it was one of the firsts that had been repaired so that the stores could slowly reopen again. The small market, the old pharmacy, even the old flower shop began to take their beautiful bouquets out onto the sidewalk again to give some life to the gray surroundings. And to the troubled lives of the people around.</p><p>These had been difficult years. Too many losses, too many changes. But you remembered well the last time you’d been here.</p><p>A few days before everything went to hell with that treaty, you’d been in the bar on the top floor of that building, having your drink and flirting with that stranger you could never call, and who never called you. He probably died that day, or in the following days, or in the following years of complete darkness.</p><p>You’d been lucky enough to have been in the outskirts of the city that day with your students in the field trip to see the wonderful ancient wall… and it’s fall. And you remembered as if it were yesterday the screams, the distant explosions and the immense display of force that Niflheim was able to orchestrate in order to end it all.</p><p>But who would have thought that would be nothing compared to what would come next.</p><p>To have had to flee to Lestallum with nothing but the clothes you were wearing that day and your purse, trying to keep your students together so that everyone could make it, but failing in the attempt. You lost a couple, and that always haunted you, but the rest stayed by your side. Some were reunited with their families in that hot strange city, but others didn’t count with the same luck. And neither did you.</p><p>You tried to look for them in every hostel, in every nearby town, but you could never find them. Until the dark years came and you couldn't leave Lestallum ever again. So, you finally gave up one day and just prayed the gods that wherever they were now they would have their souls at peace for you to see them again here or in the beyond when they call you home.</p><p>When the darkness came, you learned many things, even hunting, and you used to go with some large groups from time to time to do your part, but you always stayed with your students, no matter what, and your group grew bigger. The little ones had to keep learning and some older ones that hadn’t been able to do it before also joined you for your lessons in the middle of the small and improvised classrooms, illuminated thanks to the meteor fragments that the brave hunters and former glaives gathered in each outing.</p><p>You realized that the simple fact of learning something gave them a certain sense of normalcy in their lives. Lives that were now alien to all, and that for 10 years you all struggled to keep afloat.</p><p>Until one day everyone's eyes were blinded by daylight again.</p><p>You couldn't believe it. Nobody could. But the light returned and with it the hope of resuming life at that distant point where it had been left paused.</p><p>And the news started to come. King Noctis, yes, now king, had returned and was seated now in the throne that once belonged to his father, surrounded by his loyal entourage and up to receive everyone who has the will and the courage to help them rebuild Insomnia.</p><p>Of course, you were the first one to accept when you were asked to return to your former city to start from scratch.</p><p>It was horrible to come and see it crumbled. The surroundings of the Citadel were the ones that received the most damage, so the groups began with the farthest and easiest areas to rebuild. The camps were settled and when the structures were verified, some groups began to occupy the old houses.</p><p>And so, the days passed, and then the weeks, until after several months you all almost reached the center of the city. But for now, you were here, walking on this street, observing, full of hope, what the work of so many had accomplished and how the tired old lives were slowly coming back to seem like lives again.</p><p>Looking up at the building, you saw the beautiful ceiling lights shining from that place you liked to visit so much back in those days. Was it really open? Until now, you only knew that basic necessities were operating, but if the florist was starting up, why not that old pub?</p><p>You smiled at the idea and the memory of that last time, so you decided to try your luck. Maybe it wasn't open, actually, but at least you'd go see if that bartender was there and you could say hi.</p><p>Going up the stairs, now worn, you missed the elevator. But you were in better physical shape than before, so with little effort you managed to get there without feeling like you were going to have a heart attack. You haven’t lost completely those curves of yours, but now they were more…attractive, as you could’ve confirmed a decent amount of times in these years.</p><p>The door was the same. Wooden, beautifully carved and large. It was ajar, so you knocked and poked your head out.</p><p>“Good evening,” you said timidly. “Is it open?”</p><p>The bartender, now with slightly gray hair, withdrew his eyes from the glass he was cleaning and looked up, immediately smiling broadly at your presence. It was him. The one who served you in silence so many times in those days, without questions, without judgment. You were sincerely glad to see him alive, he was almost an old friend. These days you were glad to see almost anyone.</p><p>“It is,” he said, and went to your encounter, his apron on with which he dried his hands. Standing in front of you, he smiled, as if he couldn’t believe that you were here. These days everyone seemed to marvel at old encounters. Encounters that before seemed so casual, so guaranteed. “Your table is available,” he pointed at that corner beside the large window, the same armchair remained.</p><p>You chuckled and gave him a nod, then both of you walking to your usual place. He stood by the window while you sat down, taking looking around. No one else was there. The place was no longer as fancy as you remembered it, but it was still just as cozy. Some things were missing from the walls, a couple of tables and only one of the floor lamps remained. The Insomnia view was still wonderful, but there were also some buildings missing, some roofs. Some lives.</p><p>“What do I serve you?” he asked, turning his face from the window as if he was thinking the same you were.</p><p>“The best thing the house has,” you answered playfully. You knew that there was not much to offer in these times, but you would have really settled for a simple glass of water. It was just being here what made you happy, not the memory of the booze.</p><p>He gave an amused chuckle and walked towards the bar table, settling in behind it to mix whatever he had at hand. Propping an elbow on the arm of the chair, your head went then to rest on your hand and, crossing your legs, you let out a sigh into the air at the peace of the place. What beautiful memories here. That stranger looking at you from that high stool…</p><p>The bartender then approached you with a glass of gin and tonic, a couple of lemon wedges floating inside and, with a smile, carefully placed it in front of you with a napkin under it. This place may have lost some of its furniture, but never its class.</p><p>“Where did you get gin?” you asked him, smiling gratefully.</p><p>“Well,” he crossed his arms in front of you, grinning at the question. “It wasn’t easy, but you know how things work these days.”</p><p>That made you laugh, because sure you did. “I’ll make it up to you for this drink.”</p><p>“No, this one’s on the house,” he softly replied. “But I’ll charge you the next one,” giving you a finger gun and raising a brow.</p><p>“No, no. Just tell me what you need help with, and I’ll do it,” you assured him. Because that's how it was now. Barter. There was no money, so it was how everything was maintained for now.</p><p>He chuckled at your statement. “Ok, I’ll let you know. Enjoy your drink,” he said, then turned around to come back to his tasks. “Hey! Come in!” he greeted when someone else was already heading to one of the barstools that you couldn’t see.</p><p>You took a sip of your gin and closed your eyes, feeling immediately as if a switch had been turned on in your brain. Too many things came to your mind, some unwelcome, so you just savored it and opened them again, leaving it on the table to keep admiring the place.</p><p>And then you could see the new visitor.</p><p>His dark blonde hair was slicked back, with a few short strands falling over his forehead. Wearing dark glasses and a light gray crossed sport jacket, you could distinguish a glimpse of his tanned collarbones.</p><p>He was crossing a few words with the bartender when he reached out his gloved hand to take the glass that the other man served him.</p><p>That face. Those gloved hands…</p><p>Astrals above, it was him!</p><p>Your eyes widened beyond their capacity and your heart went on a race. You looked at him dumbfounded as your breathing quickened and you watched him as he took a sip of the same drink as yours. His smile was subtle as he spoke to the other man, though more noticeable than the one you remembered, but his face reflected something you couldn't read. He looked tired, or sad. You couldn't tell for sure.</p><p>But this time you weren't going to let him go with just a napkin. No. If something these tough years had taught you is that life could end just like that. So today there would be no games. There was no time or desire for games anymore.</p><p>So, you got up from your chair, grabbed your glass and walked over to him. Just to stop in your tracks a few steps away.</p><p>You watched how he removed his dark glasses and rubbed his eyes with the tips of his thumb and middle finger. As he removed his hand, a broad, dark scar that covered his left eye and prevented him from opening it became visible to you, while the right eye ... was no longer green. It was an almost white orb that now took its place. And you realized that he didn't see you.</p><p>He couldn’t. Even though you were almost in front of him. And he put on his glasses again.</p><p>A sharp sting seemed to stab your chest at the realization. He was blind. Putting a hand over your mouth, you stifled the gasp that threatened to leave your body and felt how the tears began to accumulate painfully in your throat. Scars covered his face, on his nose, on his forehead, on his lower lip. What a horrible thing could have happened to him.</p><p>Closing your hand into a fist over your mouth, you took a deep breath and lowered it right after. Then regaining your composure and straightening your back, you smiled even though he couldn't see you and went to stand beside him.</p><p>“Excuse me,” your voice left you softly and he tilted his head in your direction. “I found a napkin the other day under my glass.”</p><p>For a moment, he didn't seem to move, and you feared that you were in front of the wrong man, but suddenly, the most beautiful smile you’d ever seen took form on his lips.</p><p>“How curious,” he said, turning slightly towards you in his chair. His voice was the music that was missing in the air. “Does it look like this one, perhaps?” and from the inside pocket of his jacket he took out a worn, wrinkled and incomplete napkin, sliding it in the table with his fingers, in which you undoubtedly recognized your name and part of your phone number at the time.</p><p>Tears almost invaded your eyes and the little pub seemed to grow brighter in the middle of the sunset that was already beginning to fall in the city.</p><p>“Ignis Scientia,” you spoke just above a whisper, withdrawing the fingers that you’d placed again over your mouth in surprise, with an almost broken voice, embedded with joy.</p><p>“____,” your name on his lips was what it took to take you out of this world. Soft, almost savoring every letter of it.</p><p>A touched, little laugh left your mouth and you admired him in awe. How much he seemed to have changed, but somehow, he remained the same. That gorgeous man who stole your eyes that day without saying a word, now in front of you, beaten by the inclement destiny. What extraordinary things would he have to tell you and you to him. What rough paths would you both have crossed to meet again today, here.</p><p>“There are no more martinis, I’m afraid, but would you join me for a while?” he asked you with the sweetest voice you’ve ever heard in a man before. The smile remaining on his lips, his hand resting in the wooden surface.</p><p>Forever, you wanted to answer, approaching one of the stools to sit next to him. “Only if you tell me when you wrote your name on that napkin that day.”</p><p>He chuckled, and you promised yourself that you would get that sound out again and again from him. “Fair enough,” he gave in to your request, nodding slightly, and your smile didn’t seem to want to disappear from your face in the days to come.</p><p>Sitting next to him, summarizing your lives in pieces to each other, the minutes passed one by one and the no longer fearful night fell.</p><p>Everything went dark, but you didn't care. The sun would rise again tomorrow.</p><p>But finally, the light returned to you again.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Look what you've done Lady_Kaie and AleScientia. I'm so weak...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The gift</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Lady Luck has finally smiled for you both.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Excuse me,” you said. “I found a napkin the other day under my glass.”</p><p>And his world stopped.</p><p>So many years. Years and years of keeping a simple napkin in his pocket, already broken, old, he couldn’t say now if the traces of that beautiful name were still visible or if he was saving a simple piece of worn paper. Years when he regretted never having dialed your number before the disaster, but the circumstances were adverse. The departure with Noctis and the others was untimely and when everything happened, one day in a moment of solitude he dared to dial, but it was already out of service.</p><p>Dead, he thought, it was unlikely that you had survived that horrible attack. And his heart clenched. Perhaps that’s why he kept the napkin for so many years and with so much care, in memory of you, of the last chance that maybe he had to find a partner and wasted for the games of youth.</p><p>How foolish. He was aware that you didn’t cross a word, only a couple of glances, but gods if you were beautiful, and the smile you gave him that last day accompanied him in his mind since then, giving him light now that everything was darkness for him.</p><p>How many times, when he could still see, he glanced back and forth in the cities and on the highways in a lost hope to find you, maybe at the side of the road, maybe at a shop alone. How many times did he scan the alleys of Lestallum before leaving for Altissia. So many times, he thought he saw you until his sight left him and now, you were only in his mind, there, sitting in the armchair in the corner against the big window. Smiling at him.</p><p>He didn't know how with a single glance you’d dug into his thoughts. Perhaps it was the nature of the encounter, or the inconclusiveness of it. Or everything that happened after that made them hold onto anything that could provide some hope, some illusion. He didn't even hear your voice and wished he had done it to try to recognize it in the dozens of people who came later over the years.</p><p>But there you were now. And your voice was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. You were there, right there.</p><p>Since he began to frequent the bar again when meeting the old bartender one day, he never imagined that you would return. It was a visit to an old friend beyond allowing himself the illusion of seeing you again. A ritual from the old days, a way of remembering. He never pictured that the gods would smile at him in such a way after all his tribulations.</p><p>And he listened to you carefully as you sat next to him, memorizing each word, each piece of information, each anecdote. Every tone of your voice, every laugh, every pause. He asked you things from time to time just to continue listening to that precious melody and see how that image in his mind of that gorgeous woman sitting in the corner of the bar began to come to life again.</p><p>And he came back to life, too.</p><p>"How come I never saw you at Lestallum?" you asked surprised.</p><p>"It was a difficult time for me," he answered. The pain of those days was no longer present, but the memories still made him speak with a hint of melancholy. "I was getting used to my new condition, so I didn't stay in one place for far too long. I was determined not to be a burden to my friends, so I was devoted to relearn everything on my own."</p><p>"And you did it," you replied sweetly.</p><p>He hummed and smiled, hearing the smidge of happiness in your voice, not a drop of pity in it. “I’m inclined to think that, yes.”</p><p>The hours passed without realizing it and the night fell over Insomnia. Saying goodbye to the bartender and promising to supply him with some new furniture in exchange for the drinks, the two of you left the place and went out to the street. The nights were now silent, the loud bustle was no longer heard in some areas and the constant coming and going of people was limited only to the areas where repairs were taking place.</p><p>“Where are you living?” you asked him as you went out of the building.</p><p>He stopped and extended a hand to help you down the last steps of the entrance. “I’m living in the Citadel,” he answered as he felt your hand in his, holding it for a moment as the two of you were silent. Almost seeing your easy smile, he smiled himself at the image and at your breathing that he heard accelerated. “Would you allow me to escort you home?”</p><p>“Oh, it’s okay. We can stop by the Citadel and then I can walk from there. I wouldn't want you to have to go back alone,” you said with your hand still in his.</p><p>He chuckled and let go of it, brushing fingertips over yours. “Because it is too dark?” he scoffed. Over time and by regaining his independence in his daily tasks, he’d learned to make fun of himself.</p><p>Hearing you letting out a little gasp, he laughed a bit louder. “Oh, you…,” you chuckled then at the realization of his pun, “no, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that.”</p><p>“It is fine,” he said softly trying to appease your embarrassment. “I truly wish to do it and it is not far away from the Citadel.” You let out a small laugh that warmed his chest and send goosebumps to his neck. Years had passed since the last time he had felt this way... if he’d ever allowed himself to do so.</p><p>“Okay, then,” you replied cheerfully. “Let’s go,” and he felt how you softly took his arm and hooked it into yours. “Um, I hope you don’t mind if I-“</p><p>“No,” he interrupted and finished fitting himself into your grip, taking his cane and placing it under his free arm. “I appreciate it.”</p><p>“Okay,” you spoke with a smile of relief on your voice and he smiled back.</p><p>The two of you began to walk through the streets towards your house behind the Citadel. Grabbing gently your arm, he took the guide you gave him to walk the path, feeling each rise and fall, each turn, each obstacle that you kindly indicated while beside you, he walked with confidence. It reminded him a bit of those early days of blindness with Prompto, who patiently accompanied him on long walks and helped him up from so many falls. He would never be grateful enough to the younger blonde.</p><p>Now he no longer needed help. His movements were as natural as before and his other senses had adapted to the space. He was a quick learner, and although he stumbled very occasionally, his life had returned to normal. But he wasn't going to deprive himself of the luxury of walking on your arm, not after more than ten years of imagining how it would feel to touch you.</p><p>“You know,” you said, and he heard a hint of excitement in your voice, “I’m going to work at the Citadel now.”</p><p>Something jumped inside his chest. “How come?”</p><p>“The school that King Noctis is opening, well, I’m going to teach there.”</p><p>He chuckled and grabbed your arm just slightly tighter, amazed by this whole encounter. What were the odds of reuniting with an almost total stranger, in the same place, almost 12 years later? And now find out that they would work at the same place. “It seems that we were going to meet again one way or another.”</p><p>Now was your time to laugh and he delighted in the sound. “Yes, I know… All of this is… strange.”</p><p>Humming in response, he lowered his head and thought of the past years. He’d never been given the opportunity to do what he was doing right now. The simple act of just walking hand in hand, or arm in arm, with someone. His life was always busy and, although he was no stranger to some encounters, he never allowed himself to love. Either because he didn’t find someone who would awake such feelings or because he took it upon himself to deny it. Whatever it had been, he never knew it, and now, past his 30's, the beautiful opportunity to take the time to get to know someone was right before him.</p><p>And perhaps to love.</p><p>“It is certainly uncommon,” he smiled as he followed your guide to round a corner and heard the particular sound of the environment that surrounded the Citadel. A lot more of activity, the shrill screech of one of the fences at the main entrance, the steps of the glaives crossing the perimeter. It was a place that he already knew well. “But I’d prefer to not overthink it and stole the beauty from it.”</p><p>“Yeah,” you sighed. “You’re right,” and adjusted his arm in yours, leaving your hand over it for a couple of seconds. That brought a smile to his face and the two of you walked in a comfortable silence, hearing some noises from little insects here, some distant voices there, until you reached the block where your house was. “Oh!” you exclaimed, “there are fireflies,” and you strayed off the road, taking him by the arm to get closer.</p><p>Although he couldn't see them, he smiled at the joy in your voice and walked with you without protest.</p><p>“There are three… five… seven fireflies,” suddenly hearing how your voice was beginning to describe the scene for him. “They are flying in circles, not far from the ground. There are three that are very close and are very bright, other two flied away and there’s one that hardly seems to shine. I think it’s too small.”</p><p>Feeling how his forehead contorted in a tiny frown, he slightly pursed his lips due to the little ache that settled in his chest. Not a painful one, but a touched one. And his eyes watered hearing your voice in the air as you helped him see through you.</p><p>“Ignis? Something wrong?” you asked, concerned.</p><p>A lovely smile crossed his features and, leaving your arm, he moved just a step to stand in front of you, closing the distance, taking your hand in the one that wasn’t holding his cane. The words didn’t come out of his mouth. What a beautiful creature the gods had given him, albeit snatched away from him for some time.</p><p>Time, what a curious concept. Years apart and suddenly they didn't seem so many. The sounds around were still present, but he could swear that time had stopped at this very moment, just with you, listening to your breathing and his heart pounding in his ears. “This may seem a bit rushed, but... may I kiss you?”</p><p>A beat of silence worried him for a moment that he might have been too hasty, but then your hands cupped gently his face. "Rushed?" you chuckled. "Do we have to wait even more?"</p><p>Dropping his cane, he smiled and wrapped his hands around your waist, then your lips founding his in the so long-awaited kiss. Warm, soft, your mouth against his felt perfect. Brushing your lips with his, he memorized you, every little slit, the corners, how your lower lip felt fleshy between his. The slight touch of the tip of your tongue meeting his own made him pull you closer, holding your soft form tighter against him. He found you perfect in his embrace, as made for him a long time ago.</p><p>Returning to the world among the mortals when the kiss ended, he leaned his forehead on yours, immersed in your breath. Your arms were around his neck and one of your hands was stroking gently his hair. Smiling eternally as he held you, feeling full of you inside.</p><p>Suddenly, he felt the tips of your fingers touching his face after removing kindly his visor. “No, darling,” he tried to stop you, putting his hand on yours.</p><p>“It’s okay,” you softly assured him. “I want to see your face.”</p><p>Hesitating, he withdrew his hand and allowed you to finish removing the accessory that served to hide his damaged eyes. During all those years, in lonely moments, he ran his fingers through his scars from time to time. The big mark on his left eye, the other small ones that crossed his nose, his lip, his eyebrow. He made a mental image of his face and found himself wondering at times who might look at him again. A blind, broken man.</p><p>Learning how to walk, to cook, to fight again. Learning how to shave himself, to eat without spilling everything all over him, to dress by himself without buttoning his shirt wrong. The feeling of worthlessness and handicap that so often overwhelmed him in the past.</p><p>But there you were, running over his scars like he used to. Delicate fingertips tracing fine lines on his broken face, feeling his muscles tense, afraid that the moment you finally realized all his imperfections you would walk away from him forever. But you continued. First his left eye, which you kissed long after having traced each outline. Then his right eyebrow and his nose, with which you did the same. Then the scar on his lip, stopping there for some more beats to find him again in a tender and reassuring kiss with your hands cradling his cheeks.</p><p>What a wonderful human being had been gifted to him, indeed.</p><p>“You are so handsome,” you said after breaking the kiss, caressing his jaw with your thumbs.</p><p>He let out a soft laugh as he held you tighter against him. “But you are wondrous, my dear.”</p><p>And one kiss after another made time go by more slowly, it even seemed to reverse it until that day when he must have kissed you for the first time, perhaps at the exit of that building, surrounded by the fireflies you’d drawn in his mind.</p><p>Taking you by the hand, he accompanied you then to your porch, after taking the cane that you picked up from the ground and handed him.</p><p>“May I invite you to dinner tomorrow?” he asked you when you stopped in front of your door.</p><p>“Of course,” you answered after giving him the sweet sound of your giggle.</p><p>Holding your hand, he kissed the back of it and caressed your knuckles with his ungloved thumb. “I'll come for you then,” and took a step back for you to enter your house.</p><p>“Iggy,” you called him before closing your door as he was walking away. “I’m not that wondrous, you know? I’ve changed over these years.”</p><p>He couldn’t understand what could lead you to make such a claim. “No, darling.” Because in his mind you’ve turned even more beautiful now, looking at him from that armchair in the corner against the big window. “You have not.”</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>